Sonny Parker (basketball) facts for kids
Sonny listens as his son Jabari announces his verbal commitment to Duke on December 20, 2012
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| Personal information | |
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| Born | March 22, 1955 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Farragut Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1976 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
| Pro career | 1976–1982 |
| Career history | |
| 1976–1982 | Golden State Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,471 (9.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,841 (4.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 954 (2.1 apg) |
Robert S. "Sonny" Parker (born March 22, 1955) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played as a small forward and shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sonny Parker was chosen in the first round of the NBA draft after playing basketball at Texas A&M University. After his basketball career, he started the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation in Chicago to help young people.
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Sonny Parker's Early Life and School Years
Sonny Parker was born in Chicago, Illinois. He went to Farragut High School in Chicago. There, he earned many awards for his basketball skills. He was named All-City, All-State, and All-Public League. Because of his great efforts, he is in the Farragut Hall of Fame. He is also in the Chicago Public Schools Hall of Fame and the Illinois High School Hall of Fame.
College Basketball Journey
After high school, Parker played for two years at Mineral Area College. During both seasons, he was named an All-American player. He also won Conference Player of the Year and Region Player of the Year. He was chosen for the All-Conference and All-Region teams. Sonny Parker is the leading scorer in Mineral Area College's history. He has been inducted into the National Junior College Hall of Fame. His team won the conference championship in 1973.
Many top college basketball teams wanted Parker to play for them. But he chose to go to Texas A&M University. He wanted to learn from the famous coach Shelby Metcalf. Parker was far from home, but Coach Metcalf and his family welcomed him. They often went fishing together. They became such good friends that Parker gave Metcalf a special watch. Parker won the watch for being the most valuable player in a college tournament. Metcalf kept the watch for 25 years. He later gave it to Parker's son, Christian, at Sonny's Hall of Fame ceremony.
In his two years at Texas A&M, Parker helped his team win two Southwest Conference titles. He was named first-team All-Southwest Conference both years. His team even made it to the NCAA Tournament in 1974–1975. In his senior year, Parker scored an average of 20.7 points per game. This was a big achievement that only two other players from Texas A&M had done in 20 years.
Awards and Recognition
Sonny Parker received many honors during his college career:
- Newcomer of the Year
- All Conference
- All Defensive Team
- Texas A&M MVP
- SWC All Decade Team
- All American
- Pizza Hut-Slam Dunk Award
- All Star Game
- Texas A&M Hall of Fame
Sonny Parker's Professional Basketball Career
The Golden State Warriors picked Sonny Parker in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft. He was the 17th player chosen overall. For 29 years, he held the record for the highest an Aggie player had ever been drafted. This record was broken in 2005 by Antoine Wright.
Rookie Season and Early Success
In his first year, Parker played in 65 games. He scored a total of 379 points, averaging 5.8 points per game. He also had 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. His team made it to the playoffs that year.
The next season, Parker played in 82 games. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He was one of the best in the NBA for his field goal percentage. His best season was in 1978–1979. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He also had 144 steals and 33 blocks that season.
Memorable Game and Career End
In November 1981, Parker helped the Warriors win a thrilling game against the Houston Rockets. The Warriors were losing by 10 points at the start of the last quarter. Parker and his teammate Joe Hassett scored 13 points together. This gave the Warriors their first lead with only 3 minutes left. The game was tied at 100 points. With two seconds left, Parker grabbed a rebound and made a reverse layup. This gave the Warriors a 102–100 victory!
After the 1981-82 season, the Warriors decided to let Parker go. This ended his NBA career in September 1982. Over his six years in professional basketball, Sonny Parker averaged 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Sonny Parker Youth Foundation
In 1990, Sonny Parker started a non-profit organization called the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation (SPYF). It is located in his hometown of Chicago. The foundation helps children from kindergarten through 12th grade. It offers educational, recreational, and cultural programs all year long.
The foundation provides after-school and weekend programs. These include tutoring, help with ACT/SAT tests, and workshops for parents. They also offer job training, mentoring, career planning, and physical education. The goal is to help students improve their reading and writing skills. It also prepares them to become successful adults. Sonny Parker is the president of the foundation and is very involved in its daily work.
Sonny Parker's Family Life
Sonny Parker and his wife, Lola, have seven children. His son Christian played basketball at BYU-Hawaii. He later finished his college career at the College of Southern Idaho and the University of Washington. Christian hopes to become a college basketball coach. Sonny's oldest son, Darryl, played professional basketball overseas. He is now a police officer in Chicago.
Sonny's son Jabari played basketball for Duke University. He was chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 2nd pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Around March 2013, Sonny had kidney problems and needed dialysis. This made it hard for him to attend Jabari's games.
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See also
In Spanish: Sonny Parker para niños
